


Cursed Dream

by urfam_ily



Series: Curse [1]
Category: Thomas Sanders (Video Blogging RPF) - Fandom
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Blood, Death, Drowning, Gen, Gore, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, Logince - Freeform, M/M, Manipulation, Negative Self Talk, Violence, be sure to check the tags for more warnings this gets dark, fears, impalation, look i haven't written anything in about 2 years, moxiety - Freeform, perceived death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-03-27 22:57:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13890900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/urfam_ily/pseuds/urfam_ily
Summary: Roman had dragged the others along on an adventure in his dreamland, but things go wrong when a curse is cast on them by an escaped witch. (Updates on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays)





	1. Dreamland

**Author's Note:**

> look i'm bad at summaries, i haven't written a full fic in 2 years and i don't know how good this is.

Virgil sat in his room, head against the headrest of his bed and earbuds in his ears. He was listening to a soothing playlist Patton had suggested.

For once everything seemed..peaceful.

A loud crash sounded from the common room, accompanied with Roman yelling about something or other.

What a peaceful two seconds.

Virgil shut his eyes, hoping to drown out the noise- whatever it was, it probably wasn't that bad.

And then, someone was knocking at his door because why not?

Virgil sighed, taking out his earbuds and sliding his phone under his pillow and out of sight. "Yea?" he asked, finally sitting up.

The door creaked open and Patton poked his head in, smiling as always. "Hey Virgie! I'd hate to bother your little fun-fest but Roman wanted all of us to go on an adventure in his land!"

Virgil hesitated, trying to choose his words so he didn't upset the emotional side- he really wasn't up for one of Roman's games, "Gee Patton, I don't know-"

"Please?" Patton asked, bringing out his patented Patton Puppy Eyes.

Damnit.

Virgil sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Okay, sure, but the first thing that goes wrong- I'm leaving."

Patton's smile somehow grew larger, he clapped his hands and walked into the anxious side's room. 

"Great, sport! Now come on, don't want to be late and get lost!" Patton intertwined his hand with Virgil's, and he somewhat gladly let himself be tugged along.

This is going to be eventful.

\----*----

Virgil stepped into the grassy fields of Roman's land, still hanging onto Patton's hand.

"Aha! I see you managed to drag the Phantom of the Edgera out of his little dark dungeon!" Roman exclaimed, wielding his sword and stood tall next to Logan.

"Well you know how enthusiastic I am about being in Barbie's Dream House, Ken." Virgil snarked back. He was happy he and Roman were getting along, and that the teasing and sarcastic remarks no longer had any real bite behind them.

"Now kids, if you don't behave I am turning this car around." Patton added in smiling.

Logan looked at Patton in confusion, "You cannot, we are not in a motor vehicle at the time being."

Patton giggled as Roman explained to Logan how it was a sort of dad joke, and Logan groaned. Roman turned to the anxious and moral sides, then his eyes dropped to their still intertwined hands. He smiled, sensing a romance afoot.

Roman stepped forward and swung his sword up, pointing to the deep forest ahead, "Adventure awaits, come with me, my gays!"

"Don't you mean guys?" Logan asked, following after Roman.

"I know what I said."

\----*----

They walked into the dark forest and Virgil's grip tightened on Patton's hand. Patton just looked back and smiled, while Virgil gave a small smile back.

"What are we even looking for, Prince UnCharming?" Virgil asked, eyeing the back of Roman.

Roman turned slightly to the side and frowned, "I might've..maybe..accidentally.. set an evil witch loose in the land." he quickly turned around and faced the others, "but she's not that dangerous! I'm sure even The Embodiment of 2012 Tumblr could handle her."

Logan chuckled softly, then hid it with a cough. "If that's the case, then I suggest we split into teams and meet back in this area in approximately 10 minutes."

Roman smiled, an idea popping into his head. "Great idea! I call glasses nerd, lets go!" Before Logan could protest, Roman grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away, swinging his sword about.

"Well, looks like it's you and me, kiddo!" Patton exclaimed, leading Virgil into the trees. Virgil looked around warily, hearing faint rustling in the leaves.

"Are you sure it's smart to split up into teams?" Virgil asked, eyeing the dark depths beyond him.

"It's better than completely splitting up, and that way we can get this done faster!" Patton said, cooing at all the little animals he saw.

Virgil nodded but kept cautious, not just for anxiety but if anything serious happened to them, it could gravely impact Thomas. It is his job to protect him, after all. If anything happened he knows it would be his fault for not doing his job.

The sound of footsteps and faint talking startled Virgil out of his thoughts. He grabbed Patton's arm so they could back up and away from the possible danger. "Did you hear that?" Virgil asked softly.

Patton nodded his head, so he continued to trek back when he felt something hit against his back and out of pure terror, let out a scream. Which was accompanied by Patton, another's, and someone's high-pitched scream. He felt the figure move and whipped around and grabbed their arm before their weapon could strike him.

"Roman, Logan?" Virgil asked, shocked.

"Virgil?" They asked in unison.

"Patton!" Patton shouted, smiling. "Sorry- I thought we were saying each other's names." He chuckled.

"What are you two doing back here?" Virgil asked, loosening the grip he had on Roman's arm.

Roman took his arm from Virgil's hand and rubbed at it, "Well John Scene-a, we were trying to find you two because we found a parchment!"

"Well maybe the parchment needs a little something to drink!" Patton said, shooting finger guns at Roman.

Logan unfurled the paper and presented it to the others, "Ridiculous. The paper cannot drink. Anyways, it seems to have some sort of..riddle on it."

"Well you're the smart, logical one, why don't you figure it out?" Virgil asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. He was getting tired of all this spooky stuff.

"While I do admit I am the most fit to solve this, Roman convinced me to ask the two of you on your opinion." Logan said, handing the paper to Virgil as Patton leaned over his shoulder.

Trapped in a dream  
Four parts of one seam  
A curse has been cast  
You live with your past  
Face your fear  
Or never leave here

Patton screamed and the others looked to him, "Patton, what happened!?" Roman yelled, looking around.

"There's a spider drawn in the corner!" Patton exclaimed, hiding behind Virgil. Virgil exhaled, briefly blowing up his bangs and patting Patton.

"Just snap us out of here Roman, this isn't worth dying for." Virgil said, preparing to be teleported back. Roman sighed and lifted up his fingers, he snapped and...

Nothing happened.

"That's...unusual." Roman said, continuing to snap. Logan reread the paper and put his hand on Roman's arm to stop him. 

"The riddle says 'face your fear, or never leave here.' I'm assuming the witch is making us go through each of our individual fears from our past, and then we will be granted the will to leave."

Virgil's eyes widened and he sighed. This is exactly why he didn't want to go on an adventure. "Fine, might as well head forward and find more clues."

The others followed him with Patton at his side as an anchor of some sorts. Roman felt a pain in his arm and rolled up his sleeve. He turned to Virgil and shrieked.

"You bruised me!"


	2. Ego

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If we want to get out of here before anything happens to Thomas, we should probably move along. The next riddle should start up the showing of our fears. But the witch's riddle has us prepared, so all we need to do is steady ourselves and expect what is incoming."
> 
> "Right as ever, Nerd of Olympus! We must continue our trek forward and face these so called fears the heinous being has set for us!" Roman exclaimed, swinging up his sword and running forward.
> 
> Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. "When will he learn not to run into dark forests like that." And then speed walked after him.

"Stop poking at it." Logan said, swatting Roman's hand away from the latter's bruised skin.

Roman pushed his sleeve down, "I never would've thought Wicked Emo of the West could be so strong! It hurts really bad Logan!" he whined

Logan sighed, crossed his arms, and turned to Roman. "If I kiss your 'boo-boo' will you stop complaining?" he remarked sarcastically.

"Yes." Roman looked down and winked at the logical side.

Logan blushed and could hear snickering up ahead from Virgil and Patton. He tried stuttering out a response and failed, so he just put his head down and walked ahead of Roman.

Virgil subtlety slowed down and matched paces with Roman. "You okay, dude?"

Roman smiled and nodded, "Flirting is so much harder when it's with someone you genuinely love."

"Tell me about it." Virgil looked up at Roman. "Hey, I can tell he likes you too. Just give him some time to process his feelings, alright?"

Roman nodded and watched as Virgil played with his hoodie strings. "If you need love advice too, you can come to me."

Virgil looked up and blushed. "W-Why would I need love advice? Shut up, dork." He then sped up his speed to match Patton's again as Roman watched him with a grin.

Patton looked around, soaking in the beauty of the dark forest. He always appreciated seeing the beauty in things perceived as dark or evil. It's what he did with Virgil, he thought with a smile, looking at the shortest side. His feelings had developed over time, a lot of confusion from Thomas had happened over those weeks. Opposites really do attract. Virgil noticed him staring at him, and stuck out his tongue. Patton full on grinned, making Virgil smile as they continued. He stopped, startled when he heard the crunching of paper under his shoe. He bent to pick it up and wiped it off.

"Guys," he said to the others, "I found another of those riddle thingys!" he handed it to Logan and looked at him curiously.

The heart, no emotions present  
The brain, emotions ruling the resident  
The creativity, no one remembering his name  
The anxiety, going back to where he once came  
All are fearful of one thing  
Step into my nightmare ring  
Face your fears in front of the others  
Watch as you crumble and the fear begins to smother

"That..doesn't sound fun." Roman said, reading over Logan's shoulder.

Logan eyed the creative side and huffed, studying over the paper. "It seems to be showing us what our fears are. Patton having no emotions, me having emotions rule over, Roman not being remembered in the future, and I guess Virgil being perceived as the villain again."

Virgil warily looked at the back of the paper, how could she know all of their fears? He was shaken out of his thoughts when there was a faint laughing from somewhere between the trees.

"Well, that was creepy!" Patton said cheerfully, attempting to lighten the sullen mood. Virgil gave him an appreciative smile and continued walking on.

Logan followed behind, folding the paper and tucking it into his pocket. "How do we even know where to go?"

Virgil stopped and consider it for a moment. "Well, we're going forward. Isn't that the most logical direction to go in?"

Logan sighed. "I guess." he looked up to Roman. "Why can't you just conjure a map or a door out of here?"

"The witch seemed to have bound any of our powers. No conjuring or shapeshifting until this is over." He let out a breath. "All we can do is hope for the best."

"We don't have any powers!? No sinking out or- or just doing anything, we really are trapped here?" Virgil gasped out, shaking and trying to breathe steadily. His vision was growing blurry and black dots began to swim in his eyes. He tried but couldn't properly breathe, which caused him to panic more. Patton gently grabbed his arm and led him through his breathing exercises.

"That's it Virgil..In 4, hold 7, out 8. You're doing good buddy." Patton breathed along with him and Roman watched on guiltily.

Roman chewed on his lip and stepped forward. "I'm sorry Virge, if I had know the witch would do this I never would've pulled you all along." He felt a hand on his, and looked up to see a shaky Virgil.

"Not....not your fault, Prince Pathetic." Virgil breathed out, smiling empathetically at the prince.

Logan smiled, but quickly hid it before the others saw. "If we want to get out of here before anything happens to Thomas, we should probably move along. The next riddle should start up the showing of our fears. But the witch's riddle has us prepared, so all we need to do is steady ourselves and expect what is incoming."

"Right as ever, Nerd of Olympus! We must continue our trek forward and face these so called fears the heinous being has set for us!" Roman exclaimed, swinging up his sword and running forward.

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. "When will he learn not to run into dark forests like that." And then speed walked after him.

\----*----

The others walked into the only clearing for miles and caught up to see Roman swinging his sword at a dragon.

"YOU STUPID PRINCE WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Logan screamed, looking at Roman as if he were crazy. Virgil stared at the prince with wide eyes and Patton cheered him on.

Roman caught his breath and briefly turned to face the others. "Just because our powers are gone doesn't mean the other mythical creatures have just up and left!" He exclaimed.

Logan clenched his fists. "And why on Earth would you willingly fight it without the power to heal!" he yelled back.

"He called my hair ugly!" Roman pouted, turning back to strike at the dragon. Logan slammed his palm into his face and was muttering about idiot princes and oversized egos. Patton continued to cheer on Roman, making up chants as he went. 

"Don't think I don't know you're muttering about me under your breath!" Roman turned around, stomping his foot.

Virgil watched in horror as the dragon opened it's maw above Roman, swinging its head down to strike. He did what he could only think of doing. He ran towards Roman, attempting to reach his full speed and tackled the creative side out of the way. They tumbled through the grass, Virgil quickly recovering and grabbing for Roman's sword, throwing it into the monster's chest.

He huffed as the dragon screamed, trying to catch his breath. Roman stayed on the ground, staring shellshocked at Virgil.

"Well, Fall Out Emo, I suppose you're my knight in black armor." He snarked, sitting himself up. Patton and Logan ran to the pair, the latter checking his pockets for any medical supplies. Patton was gushing about how Virgil killed the beast and saved Roman.

"You were so brave! Oh my goodness, you just threw the sword and KA-BLAMO! You saved us Virgie! I'm so proud of you!" Virgil blushed and eyed the ground, smiling softly and playing with his hands. Logan slid down on his knees to examine the two sitting in the grass. His eyes widened when he saw a dark stain growing from the sleeve of Virgil's jacket.

"Take off your jacket." Logan said hurriedly.

"Wh-what? Why?" Virgil asked, but obeying nonetheless. Patton gasped when he saw the gash on Virgil's arm sluggishly bleeding. Roman's eyes tracked to his arm and grabbed onto his own sleeve, beginning to pull.

"How did this happen!?" Patton yelled, anxiously playing with his cat hoodie.

Logan examined the wound. "Virgil tackled Roman, who had a sword in his hands. It was bound to hit him and we're lucky it was only his arm."

"Patton, you brought water bottles, right?" Logan asked, holding Virgil's arm still. The moral side nodded, pulling a bottle from out of his hoodie's pocket, handing it to Logan. He unscrewed it and poured the water onto the wound, causing Virgil to wince. Logan looked up, trying to apologize with his eyes, and Virgil nodded. 

He cleared the excess blood and all and looked at the deep red lining the anxious side's arm.

Roman caught the group's attention with the tearing of his costume, the sleeve coming clean off of his forearm. He inched forward to wrap it around Virgil's arm.

"What are you doing? You just ruined your costume!" Virgil said, reluctantly giving his arm to Roman to let it be wrapped.

Roman huffed out a breath of air. "You were hurt because of me, it's only fair that I give up something of mine so you can heal until we go home." Virgil smiled at him in thanks. Patton squealed in the background, happy that the two were getting along.

Roman finished tying the knot, letting Logan inspect it. "I suppose that's the best we can do for now. Now come on, we've got to go finish this quest." Logan stood up, offering his hand out to Virgil, pulling the smaller side up.

Virgil wrapped his jacket around his waist, he supposed Patton could get the stain out when they get out of here. When they go back home.

\----*----

Virgil scratched at the fabric on his wound, attempting to ease the pain and itchiness. Red was surrounding the wound and he couldn't help but feel anxious about it. There was no medicine and no healing, he didn't want a simple cut from a sword to be the death of him. He practically clawed at the pseudo bandage, anxiety clouding his mind.

"Hey, don't do that. Squeeze my hand if it gets bad, buddy." Patton said, grabbing Virgil's hand and bringing it down. Virgil smiled at the emotional side, squeezing slightly.

Roman walked at the front, squeezing his own hand down as if he was holding the hilt of his sword. Logan frowned and walked towards him. He could almost literally feel the guilt radiating off of him. "Hey." Logan said.

"Hey." Roman said back, bringing up an obviously false smile.

Logan's frown deepened. "You don't have to pretend to be happy, you know." Roman's smile dropped and he sighed, biting at his lip.

"Virgil was hurt today. Because of me. Because of a stupid dragon that I had to fight just because of my gigantic ego." Roman's nails dug into his palms. Logan took his hand and gently unfurled it, intertwining it with his. 

"It's not your fault, the dragon would've caused trouble either way- you held it off the best you could. I was the one that provoked you anyways." Roman smiled down at him, tears filling his eyes.

Logan smiled back, feeling himself leaning in. He felt a weird feeling, there was a clenching in his chest and his knees were shaking. It wasn't likely he was sick, he had done everything to prevent any illness. He felt...emotions. Love? He blushed and his heart raced as he saw Roman slightly bend down. 

Roman's face was flushed, purple hair shining in the moonlight. The were bruises framing his face and scratches on his forehead and chin. Logan never understood the meaning behind comparing people to art, but right at this moment- with Roman looking like that in front of him...he understood it.

Roman looked down at Logan, basking in the light reflecting off of his glasses, making his eyes shine. His tie was slightly askew from their adventure, a scrape on his cheek and the knees of his pants were torn from sliding across the grass. He feels as if he could write millions of mushy love songs, but none of them could quite convey all the feelings he felt at this moment.

They were close, practically breathing into each other. And then...

"Guys! Virgil found another riddle!" They jumped apart, faces as red as the sash rested on Roman's chest. Logan coughed, "We should probably go check that out.."

"Oh, yeah!" Roman chuckled awkwardly, following Logan to the other pair, thinking about the moment they just had. They could see Patton with his hand on Virgil's shoulder, probably praising him about finding the paper.

Whatever was on it, they could only hope it wasn't bad.

\----*----

The dragon flew back to its cave, ripping the sword out of it's chest. The wound slowly closed as one of its eyes glowed a bright yellow.

It chuckled, white light filling it's slowly changing form.

A woman walked out of the gave, half of her face covered with a vail. She snapped her gloved fingers, and disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow this is rlly Gay


	3. Emotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Roman, what to we do!?"
> 
> Before Roman could respond, a faint voice rang out from the forest.
> 
> "You have passed the practice, as I've foreseen  
> Now suffer through remaining unseen  
> Watch as the heart suffers for eternity  
> From the depths of hell, hath no fury  
> Find a way to break the trance  
> And you will be given a chance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i say posting tuesday and thursday? oops i added sunday bc i'm impatient. idk how to really feel abt this chapter so i wanna get it out of the way already

Virgil looked up and saw Roman and Logan appear, both blushing furiously. He smirked and handed the new riddle to Logan, the latter furrowing his eyebrows and frowning at the anxious side's smirk.

Logic was not sound  
As you have now found  
A person solely acting by the heart  
Can be slowly torn apart  
But a person with no emotions at all  
Will be their own downfall

"What's that supposed to mean?" Virgil asked, playing around with the arms of his jacket. Logan looked over the paper once more and folded it up.

"It seems to be inferring I was wrong about the past riddle, and that we are about to see Patton's fear." He said, stuffing the paper into his pocket and quickly glancing at Roman. "We'll have to move forward and face this together."

Virgil walked next to Patton, slightly nudging him. "Are you gonna be okay, Pat?" He asked, looking into the taller's eyes. Patton smiled and put an arm around Virgil's shoulders.

"Of course, kiddo! I bet whatever that witch has in store for me isn't going to be that bad!" Patton said, but on the inside he felt a rustling in his stomach, terrified. They continued on until they heard a rustling of leaves and the snapping of twigs in front of them. Patton adjusted his glasses and squinted ahead, then stepped back in shock. "Thomas?"

"What's the matter Patton? Come on, I need ya, after all- the heart wants what it wants." The seemingly fake Thomas said, holding his hand out to Patton.

"Well kiddie, I can't! You know you have to use logic too!" Patton put up a cheerful front, but a rock of dread weighed heavy in his stomach. He jumped when they were surrounded by a black inky ocean, faint statements being shouted from beyond it.

"Always be happy."

"If you're not happy, then he won't be happy either."

"They need you to be happy."

"They WANT you to be happy."

"You're useless without your enthusiasm."

Patton covered his ears, tears flowing down his face as he bent down and tried to block out the noise. Virgil tried to get to him but was stuck in the ink, Patton seemingly getting further an further away. He thought for a minute, panicked, and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"It's okay to be sad!" He shouted out, remembering what Patton once told him. "You can't force yourself to be happy all the time, it drags you down and exhausts you. You can feel however you want to feel." Patton slowly uncovered his ears, looking up at Virgil. There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes, but the voices from the ink grew louder.

"You'd burden them with your problems."

"You're the happy one."

"No one'll love you if you're sad."

Patton sunk deeper, and Virgil desperately pulled at his own leg to remove it from the trap. He succeeded and stumbled forward, slowly inching his way to the moral side. "It's not your job to keep everyone happy all the time, when you're sad- you're sad. No ifs, ands, or buts. Your emotions matter, happy or not. We love you no matter how you're feeling."

Virgil stumbled against Patton, slowly wrapping his arms around the other. He inhaled shakily, trying his best to soothe the emotional side and rid him of those thoughts.

"You're fam." He spoked out, Patton blinked his eyes open and looked down at Virgil.

"I love you." Patton sniffed, eyes growing red as he bent down. He took one look at the sincerity in Virgil's face and immediately hugged him, vanishing the inky trap. Virgil burrowed his face into Patton's chest as Patton buried into Virgil's hair. They broke apart when they heard a cough, looking over the see the other two sides covered in slimy ink.

"What. What was that?" Roman asked, trying to shake the ink off of himself. Logan wiped off his glasses and sighed.

Patton hesitated and looked at Virgil, who nodded his head. "I'm afraid, that if I show any emotion other than happiness...you guys won't like me. I feel like it's my job to keep everyone happy so I have to be happy." Virgil took Patton's hand in his as a show of support.

"I get it now!" Logan shouted, startling the others. "The witch did tell us our fears and I was right, but details were left out. 'The heart, no emotions present'. Patton is afraid of showing any emotion but happiness, so he tries to keep no other emotions present and it weighs him down."

"Eugh, feelings." Logan shuttered.

Virgil contemplated this for a moment, turning over to look at Patton. "You know it's okay to be sad, you take care of us when we're not happy. Let us do the same for you."

Patton's smile shook slightly and he nodded, hugging the anxious side again.

"Is that seriously all it was? That wasn't so bad." Roman said, flinging the ink off his arm.

The ink landed on Logan's side and he groaned.

\----*----

They continued their walk down the forest, occasionally stopping for a few minute breaks. Virgil's wound grew a greenish tinge around it, so Logan removed Roman's torn sleeve and cleaned it the best he could again. Roman tore off his other sleeve, despite Virgil's objections, and offered it to the logical side.

"We have to hurry," Logan said, finishing tying the knot of fabric around Virgil's arm. "The wound is becoming infected, we don't know how this is affecting Thomas and we don't have any other supplies."

Roman knelt down and grabbed at a stick, snapping it in half to have both sides somewhat sharpened. He mourned the loss of his sword Caliber. "We'll have to make do with the items at our disposal in the Dreamland."

Patton nodded, reaching out to help Virgil up. "You seriously think we can take down magical monsters with a few sticks and whatnot?" Virgil asked, dusting himself off.

Roman thought. "Well we also have our wits and will!"

"That's not helpful in the slightest." Virgil remarked, beginning to walk after Patton.

They couldn't see much of the skies from beyond all the trees, but the growing darkness signaled to them that night was coming. They would have to find a place to hide for the night or risk running into anything dangerous.

"Are there any caves around here, buddy?" Patton asked, looking behind him at Roman.

"Quite a few, but without a map it would be nearly impossible to find one before the darkness fully settles." Roman said, attempting the sharpen his two sticks.

"Well that won't be much of a problem, right guys?" Patton was unnerved when he heard no response. "Guys?"

He turned around and nobody was there, his eyes widened as he looked all around and still found none of his friends.

"Patton?" Virgil asked, glancing down at his slightly transparent hands. He looked at the others and found that they were both see through. "Roman, what to we do!?"

Before Roman could respond, a faint voice rang out from the forest.

"You have passed the practice, as I've foreseen  
Now suffer through remaining unseen  
Watch as the heart suffers for eternity  
From the depths of hell, hath no fury  
Find a way to break the trance  
And you will be given a chance."

Logan looked up, searching for the voice. "You can't rhyme foreseen with unseen, that's lazy writing." Virgil glared at him, a sign to focus on the task at hand.

They watched as distorted forms of theirselves showed up, along with Thomas. No distorted Patton was to be seen, Virgil began to feel a sense of unease.

"There you are guys! Don't scare me like that again, kiddos!" Patton said cheerfully, bounding up to the fake sides.

The sides turned to him, expressionless. Dread pooled in the real sides' stomachs, seeing their lightless eyes. "What are you doing here?" Distorted Virgil asked, voice completely monotone. Patton stopped in his tracks, squinting at the others.

"What do you mean, Virgie? I've always been here." Patton said, trying to hide how wounded his voice sounded.

"We don't need you." The Distorted Logan stated. "We've discovered that we're better off without all the inner destruction emotions cause."

"What are you even doing out of your room?" Distorted Roman dragged out, looking uninterested at his nails. Patton stepped back, then the black ink from earlier flooded in, crashing against Patton and flowing straight through the others. Patton tried to run, but the ink snaked up his arms, forming chains.

The same things from earlier we being shouted at Patton.

"Goodbye." Distorted Virgil said, seconds before Patton was forced under the ink. Logan wracked his brain for information on drowning, keeping track of the seconds.

10

Patton was trying to keep his mouth closed, tears flowing up into the ink. Virgil screamed, trying to latch onto Patton or stop the witch from doing this.

Roman yelled out to the witch, pleading and begging with her.

30

Patton's mouth opened on reflex, trying to breathe in but inky liquid was sucked in, and he tried to cough it up with bubbles floating to the surface. He spasmed, trying to kick his legs up to get to the surface. His lungs burned with the need to get oxygen.

60

Patton's eyelids began to droop, the shouting grew in volume, surrounding Patton and suffocating him. He locked eyes with Virgil and mouthed something, a sentence out.

The sides were brought back to their original forms, immediately being hit with the ink flowing down into their lungs.

Patton's eyes dropped and he stopped thrashing, the ink beginning to flow away. When it was completely gone Virgil ran over to the moral side, sliding onto his knees and pulling Patton into his lap. He slammed his hands down onto his chest repeatedly, nothing happening.

Virgil grabbed Patton's jaw and forced his mouth open, plugging Patton's nose, inhaling a deep breath and shoving his head down, locking their lips. He breathed into him twice and lifted his head up to check for breathing.

He repeated the process as Roman looked on with horror and Logan fidgeted with his necktie. Minutes passed and nothing happened, Roman having to drag Virgil away from Patton. Tears were streaming down Virgil's face as he screamed at Roman to let him go, he has to help Patton, he has to.

They turned forward in shock when they heard coughing, Patton's eyes shot open and he rolled onto his side, spilling all of the ink out of his lungs. Virgil stumbled over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

Logan huffed a breath of relief as Roman raced over to the other two.

\----*----

The four were sitting in a small clearing, fire crackling in front of them. Their faces were illuminated by it, none of them smiling.

Patton's hoodie was removed from his shoulders, now being worn properly. His hair was still soaked and his glasses askew. Virgil's eyeshadow was smeared down his face, bangs being tied back in a small ponytail to dry. Logan's tie was around his forehead, to keep the water from dripping into his face and to draw out a smile from Patton. Roman was wringing out his hair.

"I'm sorry." Logan said. "If I hadn't of gotten that riddle wrong, you could've been spared from what you just went through." He looked at his hands and ignored the empathetic looks from Virgil and Roman.

"It's not your fault." Patton rasped out, smiling at him. Logan looked up at him, not believing it. Patton sighed and said, "Nice tie."

Logan cracked a sideways smile. Roman flipped his hair back, poking at the fire with one of his sticks. "What are we supposed to do now?" Virgil asked, fiddling with his bandaging.

"We rest, one of us takes a shift staying awake. Wake the other up, and then they take the shift. In the morning we continue onwards, and deal with the next thing the witch has planned for us." Roman said, bringing his stick back and blowing on it. Virgil looked considering for a moment.

"I'll go first." Virgil said. Patton looked over at him in concern as Roman looked at him in shock.

"Are you sure?" Virgil nodded. "Okay. I'll go next, wake me up in two hours, alright?" Virgil nodded again, grabbing Roman's stick to poke at the fire.

A few minutes passed and the other three eventually fell asleep.

Virgil stared up at the stars, trying to remember the constellations that Roman made up a few months ago. He thought about everything that's happened, how everything had gone so far. They were only past Patton's fear and everything had gone so terribly.

Patton had almost died, because he was afraid that they wouldn't need him- need emotions anymore. Virgil sighed, pulling on his jacket to protect himself from the slight chill.

He never woke Roman up. 

\----*----

The woman stepped into the depth of the forest, heel splashing into the ink.

She lifted her dress up, walking across the path with delicacy. She saw what had transpired here hours ago, and looked up to see smoke billowing in the horizon.

She smirked. This would be fun.


	4. Null

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil raised an eyebrow as Roman lifted the welcome mat and picked up a key, pushing it into the keyhole and opening the door.
> 
> "Isn't this breaking and entering?" Virgil whispered, nearly tripping into Logan. Patton leant on the door to find a switch, but hit a broomstick and sent it crashing to the ground.
> 
> The lights flicked on and Roman winced. "Who's there!? I have a weapon!" A woman shouted as Virgil sent a glare to Roman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh i didn't think i could stretch this out to 2,000 words oof. rlly heed the warnings for this, logan's an emotional boy

Roman cracked his bright red eyes open, the sun immediately greeted him, shining bright. He rolled on his side and attempted to go back to sleep, sighing contently.

He then shot up. 

"Virgil!" He shouted, making Virgil jump and startling the others awake. "You never woke me up!"

Virgil rubbed at his eyes and yawned, stretching out his arms like a cat. "Oh. I guess I forgot." Roman raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Look, I'm sorry okay? You guys needed to sleep and I caused enough trouble as it is, getting injured and all." Virgil said, sliding his jacket off and tying it back around his waist.

"Did you hit your head and forget everything else? You saved me and Patton, we wouldn't be where we are right now without you." Roman said, placing a hand on Virgil's knee.

Patton sat up. "I'll still physically fight you if you blame yourself for everything. That goes for all of you! I will fight all of you right now without hesitation!"

Virgil and Logan gave crooked smiles as Roman laughed heartily. Patton grinned, happy that the mood has lightened drastically from yesterday. He stuffed his hands into his pocket and pulled them out, supplying the group with gummy bears.

"I don't see the nutritional value in this." Logan said, holding the bag by his fingers. Virgil ripped open the packet and shoved them all in his mouth, Logan giving him a disapproving glare.

"What?" Virgil asked through the gummies. Patton giggled, following after Virgil as Logan groaned.

"Oh, calm down Nerdonica Sawyer." Roman said, grinning over at Logan. Logan gave an unimpressed look, resulting in the creative side sticking his tongue out at the other. Logan threw a gummy at him in return.

"Hey!" Patton choked out through a mouthful of gummies. "Don't play with your food!"

Virgil snickered when Roman stuck his tongue out at Patton. "Aw look, I got Grunge Day to laugh!" The creative side boasted.

Logan looked into the bag. "I'd hardly call this food." Logan ate a few and pocketed the rest for later. He grabbed an empty water bottle from Patton and walked over to the nearby river. As he was filling it, he stared at his reflection.

"Following the riddle," he spoke to himself. "my fear is to be next." his eyes widened as shadowy forms appeared from the water, taunting him. He shook his head and grabbed a rock next to him, throwing it in. The rippling causing the figures to disappear.

Virgil's eyes closed, startling open when Patton shook him. "Are you sure you can walk the rest of the trip, buddy?"

Virgil yawned. "There's no other way for me to go with you guys-" he was cut off when Patton lifted him up, placing him into the pouch of his hoodie.

"Oh. My. STARS!" Roman squealed cupping his own cheeks and grinning at Virgil. "You really are a little kitten!" Virgil hissed back and Roman grew giddy, covering his giant grin with his hands.

Logan walked back to see Patton cooing at a half-asleep Virgil in his pouch pocket, Virgil knees bent to his chest. "What are you doing?"

"Virgil was tired and couldn't walk the rest of the trip right now, so cat pouch to the rescue!" Patton quietly exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Virgil.

Logan gave a small smile. "Okay, we might as well keep going then." Roman stomped on the remains of the fire pile, following after the others. 

They had been walking for about an hour when Roman finally knelt down and picked up a paper, handing it to Logan.

A brain, suggestions being shot down  
Feeling invisible or like a clown  
Though he acts like it  
Anyone without emotions doesn't quite fit  
Watch as loved ones are torn apart  
And never feel a thing in your heart

He stared at it, hand tightening as the paper crumpled in it. "Logan?"

He snapped out of it, looking at Roman. Patton peered over his shoulder, giving him a concerned look. "My fears are next." Logan said, pocketing the paper. Just as he said that, visions of the other three sides appeared, deep in conversation. Virgil was snapped awake by tree branches dragging down and ripping away from Patton, holding him and the other three sides still.

"What do we do if they reject us?" Vision Virgil asked. Logan raised an eyebrow, confused as what they would be rejected by.

"It's obvious, that one rejection won't hinder our life completely-"

"We dramatically sob and then find a way to get it anyways!" Vision Roman exclaimed. Roman grimaced at the portrayal of himself, wondering if that was what he really was like to the others. 

Logan felt a pang in his chest at being ignored. He steadied his expression. "Not all problems are solved by crying and forcing our dreams to come true. We have to work hard for them."

"Why are you here, Logic?" Vision Patton asked. Logan was shocked to hear him not use his actual name. "We don't need you- we never needed you. Roman said so."

Logan's resolve broke. Roman's breath hitched as he struggled against his restraints. "Logan, he's wrong, I was wrong, we need you- we need logic!"

"You really believe that?" Vision Roman taunted. "They don't need you- you ruin the fun. Why do you think they never listen to you?" Logan distantly felt tears running down his cheeks. Roman's heart broke.

"Logan," he weakly called out. The logical side turned to face him and he was startled when he saw how..broken he looked. "I'm sorry. But you must know I never truly believed that you were useless. We need you, Thomas needs you. We wouldn't be where we are without your reasoning." Tears began welling in his eyes.

"Don't-" his voice broke, "don't listen to the witch's creations." Logan gave a small smile and the visions faded away, the others being freed. Logan inhaled shakily, turning around.

"Come on, we have to keep going. There'll be another round soon and we have to hurry." He stated in a monotone voice, the others hurrying after him and giving concerned looks.

\----*----

Patton hurried after Logan, walking next to him. "Hey, I'm still learning this but..it's okay to be sad."

"What do you know!?" Logan snapped, turning towards Patton. "All you do is hide things behind a mask, well I don't need to do that! I don't have emotions!" He choked out.

Patton smiled sadly. "That's what you want us to think." Logan's breath hitches as he looked up at him, staring into black eyes. Unknowingly next to him, Roman was shouting- cursing the witch for turning them invisible again.

"So quick to judge,  
It's easy to smudge  
And cloud your thoughts of others  
From what they hide under covers,  
You see the brain as emotionless  
Because he tries his best,  
To hide. Watch as he sees  
Something only he believes."

"What does that mean?" Patton asked, turning to a shrugging Virgil.

The fake Patton grabbed onto Logan's arm. "Can't you s e e ?" He asked, his face melting away. Logan tried to step back as the fake Patton was suddenly shot in the back with an arrow, turning into Virgil. "You don't r e a l l y care about us, you have n o emotions."

Logan tried his best to feel something, anything, but he felt like it was being blocked by..by himself.

"Can't even feel anything when you see your f a m being torn apart?" The now fake Virgil hissed out. "You really don't feel anything."

Roman gagged and Patton turned his head away as the fake Virgil was gruesomely impaled, wax like blood dripping from every end. Logan squeezed his eyes shut and willed the scene away, willing himself away. His eyes shot open when hands grabbed onto his shoulders.

Roman stared back at him. 

"Logan, come on we gotta go." Roman breathlessly said, grabbing the logical side's hand and running.

"What- where are the others?" Logan asked, trying to match his speed to Roman's. "Roman! Where are Virgil and Patton?"

Roman stopped suddenly, causing Logan to slam into him. He looked over Roman's shoulder and his eyes widened as he saw the same dragon from a few days ago, opening its mouth to come crashing down.

He watched in horror as it caught Roman, blood spilling everywhere and onto himself. He still couldn't feel anything, but buried deep down was pain and suffering. He felt numb. The dragon looked at him, and knowing he was about to suffer the same fate, a tear slid down his face.

"LOGAN!" Someone...Virgil? Screamed. The dragon glitched and dissipated, and he heard others running toward him.

Hands grabbed onto him and he was spun around to look down at Virgil, who had fat tears rolling down his face. Patton was full on sobbing and Roman looked terrified.

"The riddle...you truly believe you have no emotions?" Roman asked sadly, putting a hand on Logan's shoulder. Logan nodded. He was brought into a hug, Virgil in the middle and Patton behind him, Roman at the side. Once he was in the safety of their arms did he really allow himself to sob.

\----*----

They had been walking for hours, Logan not having spoken a word. None of the others complained, he really thought he saw the people he considered family die. Virgil had to admit he would be in a much worse state and was awed at Logan for continuing to trek forward.

"We need somewhere to stay for the night- somewhere where we can all sleep." Patton said, taking a leadership role.

Roman considered this for a moment. "I know a place, but you have to trust me." The others nodded and he went to lead to way. 

Virgil gave Logan a concerned look as he stepped over tree roots. "Hey," he said, matching his speed with the others. "You okay?"

Logan furrowed his eyebrows and nodded his head...then sighed and shook his head. Virgil smiled slightly and patted his shoulder, Logan returning the smile.

Virgil looked at Patton, who was not so subtlety watching the two of them. The anxious side gave him a thumbs up and Patton grinned, turning forward and skipping along. 

There were dozens of huge trees surrounding them, looking as if they were in a scene straight out of a story book. Patton squealed as he saw small rabbits and squirrels passing bye, nearly fainting when one rubbed up against him. Virgil smiled. It was nice, even when they were going through this disastrous journey, to have moments like this.

They walked through the darker parts of the forest for what seemed like hours, and then stopped at a small cottage.

Virgil raised an eyebrow as Roman lifted the welcome mat and picked up a key, pushing it into the keyhole and opening the door.

"Isn't this breaking and entering?" Virgil whispered, nearly tripping into Logan. Patton leant on the door to find a switch, but hit a broomstick and sent it crashing to the ground.

The lights flicked on and Roman winced. "Who's there!? I have a weapon!" A woman shouted as Virgil sent a glare to Roman.

"Trust me," he whispered. "Don't worry Elle, it's just me!" The woman- Elle- groaned and walked towards the 4. 

"Stop breaking into my house Roman." Elle said, arriving into the room. The others' eyes widened as a dragon with the figure of a woman walked in.

"That's the Dragon Witch!" Patton yelled, hiding behind Roman.

Roman winced. "Yeah...I've got some explaining to do."

\----*----

The woman sneered as she arrived to the area covered in small puddles of slime.

"Don't worry my dears," she hissed as the slime connected back to her, hiding under the vail.

Her eye flashed yellow as she transformed into a dragon, taking off into the sky. Yellow shined from the ground, showing footprints and indicating their path to a small cottage. She smiled.

"We'll get them soon enough."


	5. Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan took the cup and nodded in thanks, staring down at it. "Well," Roman bit his lip. "You know that witch I was fighting with last week?" Elle nodded her head. "She escaped and I brought the others here to help, then she put a curse on us and we can't get out and can't heal, plus we have to face our greatest fears."
> 
> "That's terrible, I hate it when people use magic for malicious intent. Well, all of you are more than welcome to stay the night with me. I only have two guest rooms, so you'll have to buddy up. Roman, can I speak with you?" Roman nodded, following the witch into her own room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is late and shorter than usual! this chapter just wouldn't cooperate but it's here! next chapter is going up a day early as apologies and bc i'll be busy all day sunday

The dragon witch poured a cup of tea in front of Logan carefully. "Why are you all stuck here?"

Logan took the cup and nodded in thanks, staring down at it. "Well," Roman bit his lip. "You know that witch I was fighting with last week?" Elle nodded her head. "She escaped and I brought the others here to help, then she put a curse on us and we can't get out and can't heal, plus we have to face our greatest fears."

"That's terrible, I hate it when people use magic for malicious intent. Well, all of you are more than welcome to stay the night with me. I only have two guest rooms, so you'll have to buddy up. Roman, can I speak with you?" Roman nodded, following the witch into her own room.

Elle opened the door and kicked a few papers out of the way, shooing her cat off of her table. "So," she said. "the famous Logan you've been gushing about?" she smirked and placed a hand on her hip as Roman blushed.

"I haven't told him yet..these past few days have been eventful, I don't want to spring this on him above everything else." Elle mock zipped her lips, pretending to throw away a key. Roman gave her a thumbs up. "So, do you really only have two guest rooms?"

"Nope."

Back in the kitchen, Patton sipped at his hot chocolate. "You okay, kiddo?" He asked Logan, who was playing around with his tea cup.

"I thought..I thought he really died." Logan whispered, staring into the drink. "And I couldn't feel anything." Virgil was sat up on the counter, sipping at coffee.

"So you really believe you have no emotions?" Virgil asked, looking into Logan's eyes. Logan nodded and the anxious side gave him a look of pity.

The other two walked into the room, Roman scooping up the wine glass full of grape juice and sipping at it. "We need a strategy plan." He said.

"Thanks, Prince of Obviousness." Virgil remarked, swinging his legs on the counter.

Roman smirked. "I wouldn't be so quick to sass if I were you, Malemocent." He glanced at Logan's frown of confusion. "You know? Maleficent. But emo?"

"You're wasting time Roman." Elle smacked the back of her had against Roman's chest as he spluttered. "Why don't you just stay here?"

Virgil set his mug next to him and jumped off the counter. "If we stay here the fears will just attack us here, and we don't know if the witch will come here."

"I'm more than equipped to deal with her." Elle said, suddenly squealing when Virgil got next to her. "Roman! You never told me how short he was!"

"I have, multiple times." Roman said, putting a hand on his waist. "And now you're wasting time."

Elle swatted Roman's legs with her tail. "You're staying here. I'm not letting you run off and put yourself and others in danger. Wake me up if you hear anything. Now go to bed, it's two in the morning." She picked up her cat and went back to her own room.

"So. Who partners with who?" Logan asked quietly. Patton smiled, downing the rest of his drink and grabbing Virgil by the hand, pulling him into one of the guest rooms.

"That answers that question." Roman said.

Patton closed the door quickly, turning around and grabbing Virgil's shoulders, "Stop me if you want to, okay?" Virgil nodded confused, when Patton gently leaned down and captured his lips, soft and reassuring. He leant back and looked into Virgil's eyes.

The anxious side was blushing, looking vulnerable and Patton leant down fast, crashing his lips against Virgil's as they clung to each other. They tumbled back onto the wall, Virgil wrapping legs around Patton. He grabbed at Patton's hair, Patton holding Virgil up against the wall.

Virgil whined as Patton bit at his lips, hands moving from the wall to his thighs for support. He leaned into Virgil, kissing him desperately. It was perfect, and then-

"Hey, are you guys ok- OH!" They pulled apart to see Logan and Roman standing there, the latter snickering. Patton abruptly pulled back, sending Virgil crashing to the ground. "We'll just- bye." Logan said, closing the door.

Patton looked down at Virgil and started giggling, causing him to chuckle along. Patton pulled up the anxious side and kissed his forehead. "We better get to bed now."

"Well looks like the two finally figured themselves out!" Roman exclaimed, closing the door to his and Logan's borrowed room. "So, do you wish to take the bed or the floor?"

Logan looked up in shock. "Wouldn't it be more logical to share the bed? It's big enough for the both of us and sharing body heat will be most beneficial."

"I guess you're right, Logan Einstein." Roman smiled.

\----*----

Roman smirked as Virgil and Patton walked into the kitchen at noon. "Long night?" He snickered as Virgil flipped him off.

"Enough. We need a plan in case the witch comes to us." Logan said, drawing up a map. Roman frowned as his vision blurred and his hearing around him was muffled. He rubbed his eyes and his vision became clear.

The others looked at Roman in confusion as he stared off into space, a voice beginning to echo around them.

"A prince, so brave and true  
Makes it hard for others to see through  
He has his fears  
They bring him to tears,  
Be forgotten, alone and afraid  
Memories of him, now slain."

"Fuck." Virgil seethed, Patton not even bothering to reprimand him. They began to see through Roman's eyes.

Roman watched the others get up and leave, he began racing after them into the woods. "Guys? Where are you all going?" He asked.

"Aw! Logan look, it's a lost Prince! Can we keep him?" Patton asked, squealing at a confused Roman.

"What- no! It's me, Roman. Patton, you know me!"

Patton gave him a sad look. "I think you've got the wrong people, kiddo. We don't know a Roman."

"But how do you know who we are?" Logan asked suspiciously, giving Roman a once over.

Roman spluttered. "Are you serious!? Virgil, we have Disney marathons! You have to remember me."

Virgil gave him a shrug. "Sorry, dude." Logan sighed and pulled out a small handgun, pointing at Roman.

"How do you know who we are?" He asked, calmly and mechanically.

Roman immediately put his hands up. "You gotta be kidding me, Logan! I'm Thomas' creativity, the Prince!"

"Wrong answer." They jolted awake as a gunshot rang out.

Logan panted. "What was that?"

"We messed with her plan," Roman choked out. "It's her warning in the form of my fear. If we don't get out of here soon- we'll die." Virgil pushed up his hand, running it down his face. They jumped when they heard a crashing from the roof, a creature yelling out.

"It's her." Elle said, grabbing her wand. Part of the roof came crashing down as Logan pulled Roman out of the way. A claw came crashing through and Patton screamed, clinging onto Virgil. "Go!" Elle yelled, pointing her wand at the claw.

"No, we can't-"

"Go!" She screamed, interrupting Roman. Logan pushed Roman out the back door, Patton following behind pulling Virgil along. They ran into the deep forest, Virgil nearly tripping over roots.

Roman looked back and tears welled in his eyes as he saw parts of the small cottage crumbling down in a fire. He turned back when Logan set a hand on his shoulder, looking sympathetic.

\----*----

"It's my fault." Roman said, tears running down his face. Logan distantly felt his heart break. "If I hadn't of led us to her house she would still- still be-" His voice broke off.

Virgil went over and flicked Roman's arm. "Hey idiot, it's not. Elle convinced us to stay, she knew the danger. I know she wouldn't blame you." Roman smiled down at him. 

They jumped when they heard a coughing behind them, Roman pulling Virgil behind him.

"Roman." Elle said weakly, covered in soot. She was leaning her side on a sword. "She's coming for you guys, take this."

Roman took the sword and pulled her in for a hug, squeezing tight. "Go to your underground cottage and hide, I'll come back when it's safe." Elle nodded, saluting the others with two fingers and running off.

Roman held the sword in both hands. "Are you okay?" Patton asked from behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Logan was about to go support Roman when he saw a piece of paper on the ground.

Being forgotten, a tragic thing  
But what if they were to be alone in the coming  
Friends are long gone  
For them he now longs  
No point of being remembered at all  
When all your friends fall.

"Guys-" Logan was cut off by loud screeching and explosions, him and the other two becoming invisible.

Roman looked around him, dark brown dried blood staining his outfit. His eyes widened in shock and he nearly tripped over Virgil's body.

"Virge! No no, come on wake up!" Roman dropped to his knees next to the body, looking to see Patton's limp hand connected to Virgil's. Logan was limping up to Roman, blood coating his torso.

Roman grabbed Logan as he winced. "This..is your fault. You dragged us along, you got us killed and it's your fault." He fell into Roman, limp. Roman's breath hitches as he set Logan down, curling in on himself.

He screamed, tears falling down his face. His hands grasped at his hair, tugging. This WAS his fault, if he hadn't pulled them along on this mission, they wouldn't be here. They wouldn't be DEAD. It was all his fault and he didn't do anything. His fault.

His fault.

His FAULT.

HIS FAULT.

HIS FAULT!

Roman's mantra was interrupted by someone clearing their throat, he looked up to see a perfectly alive Logan, Patton and Virgil stood behind him.

Roman lost control and started sobbing heavily, falling into Logan's legs and apologizing.

\----*----

The witch emerged from the rubble, rubbing at the side of her face. She snapped her fingers and appeared back in her cave.

The witch waved her hand and an image appeared, showing the four sides walking through the forest. She poked at the shortest's image, a giant list of fears popping up.

She smirked, her figure shaping into her signature dragon and flying out, wounds disappearing.


	6. Manipulation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton attempted to make eye contact with Virgil to console the slight anxiousness he saw in the other's stance.
> 
> Virgil winced as Deceit's voice rang out again. It was muffled for the others, and then they heard a single female voice.
> 
> "Save him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize in advance

Virgil shifted from side to side as he awkwardly watched the Prince sob. He knew his fears were next, but was he ready?

"Ro, it's okay." Patton said softly, rubbing Roman's back. "We're not dead, we'll always be here." 

Roman lifted his face up, cheeks red and face wet. He wiped his face on his sleeve as Logan grimaced. "We should keep going."

"It would be logical to rest for a while." Logan said, helping Roman up. The latter nodded reluctantly after stumbling trying to walk.

"Hey Patton." Virgil whispered, tracking back behind the other two. Patton looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. "What if- what if one of us doesn't make it?"

Patton smiled. "Don't worry kiddo, I'm sure that won't happen!" He grabbed onto Virgil's hand and squeezed, eliciting a smile out of the anxious side.

"Where are we going to rest?" Roman croaked out wearily. Logan tapped his chin.

"It would be too dangerous to find another clearing with the witch out. We could go somewhere crowded by trees?"

Virgil scoffed. "This whole place is covered in trees!"

"Exactly." Logan said, sitting down where he was standing. "Ergo, we rest here."

Virgil sat next to him. "Ergo, your mom rests here." He snarked, the others going to sit down.

"How many times have we had the mother conversation?" Logan asked.

"20."

"Well then, you should've learned your lesson by now." Logan stated, grabbing a nearby stick to start drawing out plans.

Virgil fell back into Patton's lap, yawning. "Well I didn't."

Patton waited till he was sure Virgil was asleep to speak to the others. "Guys, Virgil's fear is next- how are we gonna deal with that? How is he gonna deal with that?"

"We help him." Roman said quietly, knees against his chest. "Then we get out of here."

Patton whined. "Roman, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known any of this would happen."

"I agree." Logan said. "There is no possible way you could have predicted that the witch would play us and put us in our own fears, 'TBH'."

Roman winced. "That's...not the proper usage."

"Look I didn't bring my flash cards, okay!?"

"It's okay Logan, we know you're trying your gosh darned best!" Patton exclaimed, arms resting on Virgil's chest.

Roman waited till the others were asleep, he stood up and grasped at his sword. He looked into the sky. There were stars, too many to count. It was so bright yet it felt so dark. How could he believe this wasn't actually his fault? The dragon witch's house was destroyed, Virgil was still hurt, and his friends have to be tormented by fears. The night sky was a dark bluish black, streams of purple and pink flying across it. The sky didn't know of the predicament, so it shined anyways.

Roman gave a sigh. The sky was their only hope for now. He mapped the fake constellations with his eyes.

Palepius; representing the light in the dark. It was somewhat ironic how it was shining the brightest.

Logeling; the one he gazed at most when he needed reason, something to help him wade through the dark thoughts.

And Valiuonts; showing him that even things perceived as evil aren't always are, don't judge a book by it's cover.

He had fake names for them, he could never let the others know that he made constellations of them.

He went back to the area, gently placing his sword next to him. He laid next to Logan, dozing off.

\----*----

Logan woke up to the feeling of arms around him and the sound of snickering. He cracked open an eye to see Virgil covering his mouth and snapping pictures of him.

He turned his head slightly and became aware of a snoring Roman behind him, one arm under his head and one arm around Logan. He gave a small smile and turned back to Virgil.

"Shouldn't your phone have been destroyed by this disastrous adventure?" He asked, rubbing at his face.

Virgil tucked his phone away and shrugged. "S'not a real phone so.." Logan sat up and flung Roman's arms off him, causing him to startle awake.

"I'm gay!" He shouted. Virgil snorted as Patton laughed and Logan gave a confused, yet disbelieving, look.

"What kind of dream were you having?" He asked, standing up and brushing his tie. He had finally tied it back around his neck, his hair being fully dried enough.

Roman gave a half-hearted shrug. "The gay kind." Logan groaned and helped the Prince off, walking after the other two sides.

"Wouldn't all your dreams be the gay kind because you are gay? Doesn't that make all of our dreams gay?" Virgil asked. "Doesn't that make Thomas' dreams four times as gay?"

Roman put a hand against his chest. "Pardon me, my dreams are at minimum five times as gay as yours, so that would mean Thomas' are.." he stopped and counted on his fingers. "Twenty times as gay!"

"That's not even close to being right." Logan said, Roman pointing his sword at the other playfully.

Patton tugged on his sleeves. "But wouldn't it be great if we could see his dreams like we were in Inside Out!?"

Virgil smiled, but was stopped in his tracks when he heard the tell-tale crunching of paper. He bent to pick it up and as always, handed it to Logan.

Where he once came, a snake had said  
"You're just like us, bad and all" he fed  
From light to dark, dark to light  
Terrors keep him up at night  
Now accepted but filled with doubt  
How about more lies to bout?

"Virgil?" Logan asked, watching as Deceit appeared before them. He had a menacing grin.

Virgil backed up as he spoke. "Oh, dearly me, you know that you're really a dark side?" A younger Virgil appeared, which Patton would have squealed at under different circumstances.

"I-I'm not, I just try to protect Thomas!" The younger version sniffed.

"Oh how cute," Deceit cooed. "You really think that you're one of them? You hold him back from his dreams. How can that be of any good?" He hissed out. 

"All you do is cause endless worry, you're a burden. No one wants that." Upon hearing the line, Virgil marched up a decked Deceit, causing the scene to fade.

He wiped his arm against his nose. "Come on, let's go." He walked ahead, not waiting for the others.

"Virge?" Patton asked worriedly, running up to catch him. Roman stayed back, a pained look on his face.

"I quoted him." He said. "I threw Deceit's words back at his face."

Logan rubbed the other's arm sympathetically. "You didn't know. Now come on, one more fear and then we can go home.

Roman sniffed and nodded, following after Logan to catch up with the others.

\----*----

They caught up with the other two to see Patton giving Virgil a tight side hug. "You okay?" Roman asked.

Virgil nodded. "Let's go, were almost done." He was stopped suddenly when he saw rods barely pop up from the ground, hiding in the grass. He groaned, couldn't he have a bit more time to rest? He looked behind him and saw the others gone.

Patton attempted to make eye contact with Virgil to console the slight anxiousness he saw in the other's stance.

Virgil winced as Deceit's voice rang out again. It was muffled for the others, and then they heard a single female voice.

"Save him."

They started desperately yelling, to snap Virgil out of the fear. Patton grew terrified as Virgil continued to not make any sign of hearing them. In the distance he heard a faint sound of a clock ticking. His eyes widened.

"Guys this is on a timer!" He screamed to the other two, they tried even harder to get the anxious side's attention- Roman to the point of crying again.

There was a blaring ringing sound, and Logan furrowed his eyebrows then gasped.

"You failed."

The rods suddenly shot up, impaling Virgil. Patton screamed, Logan and Roman being shocked still.

Virgil's eyes tracked down to the tip sticking out from his chest, dripping with blood..his blood. He turned pale, blood dripping slightly down his mouth. His eyes fluttered shut and the rods retracted, causing him to drop like a puppet with its strings cut.

The other sides turned visible, Patton running forward to Virgil's body. Logan ran with him, Roman staying back as his face was tinged with a green tone.

"Virgil!" Patton screamed, turning his body from its side. He pressed his hand onto the anxious side's chest, eyes welling with tears. Logan stood over him, biting his lip and turning away. Patton stared into the unseeing eyes, wiping away the blood streaming down his chin.

"Please don't cry, I hate to see you sad." Virgil whispered, voice hoarse.

Patton sniffed and smiled, though it was shaky. "Come on buddy, it's time to get up." Roman eyed Logan with a look of concern. "We gotta get moving again. We can listen to your own music when we get home." Tears ran freely down his face, he forced himself to smile. "You can pick the movie, make fun of Roman, make fun of my puns- do whatever you want, you just gotta get up and go home." Patton's voice broke on the last word, sobs wracking his body.

Virgil keened. "Can't do that buddy, sorry."

"Virgil please...I can't lose you.." Patton choked out between sobs, tears streaming down his cheeks like rivers. He rested his forehead upon the cold body's. "I love you." He croaked. Roman rested a hand on his shoulder.

Virgil's hand dropped, eyes closing once again and becoming lifeless.

The body faded away, as all dead do in the Dreamland, Patton falling forward onto his elbows. He sat up and drew his hand to his face, staring at the blood coating it. 

Patton let out a blood-curdling scream, collapsing onto himself and holding the bloodied hand to his chest, the only reminder of Virgil he had left. He choked out a breath, sobbing so much his chest hurt. His forehead almost touched the ground, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get rid of the utter heart breaking pain.

"No..no no nonono." Patton cried out, choking on his sobs. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair- not Virgil- he couldn't bear to loose him. "Virgil come back, please."

His world broke, static was clouding his ears and his vision was tunneling. He couldn't breathe, he felt the tears drip onto his hands. His eyes were wide, focused on the point where Virgil- Virgil's body once was. He felt lost, broken, his soul leaving his body and he was being dragged down in an ocean, connected to millions of weights.

He felt as if he died with Virgil.

"Fuck!" Patton screamed, causing the other two to flinch.

Roman stepped back slightly, "Patton-" He was cut off by Patton grabbing the sword from him, marching forward. "Patton where are you going?" Roman ran after him, dragging Logan along.

"I'm gonna kill that woman myself."

Roman and Logan's eyes widened almost comically. "No Patton wait, we don't know how dangerous she is!"

"I know!" Patton whipped around screaming. "But she killed him! She killed him! She.." He was cut off with his own sob, dropping to his knees and the sword falling onto the grass. Roman knelt down to hug him as Logan looked away and covered his mouth, tears flowing down.

From the cave the witch grinned maliciously at the image. "Farewell." They said, turning around.

They stepped forward and lightly transformed into their original form, eyeing the image of the three broken sides with a sense of satisfaction.

Their plan was complete, and now the rest of the sides will be coming to them, finally all of them would be defeated and they could completely control Thomas.

A black cloak fell around them as they smiled, scales stretching along half of their face, bangs falling into their one white eye.

"Come and get me." He hissed.


End file.
